NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 38 – The Two Perspectives
“Thank you.” Frederick put his hand on Moira’s. The compassionate lady was gently patting his shoulder. Her fingers were digging into his bone, so strong the grip was. “I can bear the burden of what I… What I did because you are here with me.” For him, it was clear Moira was feeling deep distress.
It was… Frederick struggled to parse the confusing emotions. It was terrible. He had killed Kurt - with his own hands. He hated the man, but they had grown up together. There weren’t many people Frederick had known for so long.
At least Moira was here for him. He looked up at the wonderful woman and smiled. He was sure it was a sad one and not an entirely sincere one either. Her grip on his shoulder grew stronger as if reassuring him of her presence.
Despite the tragedy, Frederick was happy Moira had sought him out. It wasn’t proper for his love to be here, but he had made special requests and called in a couple of favours.
Frederick needed this support before Kurt’s father arrived. He picked up Moira’s hand from his shoulder and gently pressed it against his cheek. “I promise. I will be fine. And so will you.”
“Don’t worry about me, you idiot.” Moira’s words were a little harsh. She shook her head and pulled back her hand. “I am safe here. Even without your support, I can manage.”
“But the Bitch Queen-” Frederick stopped, regretting bringing up his fiance. The name had brought a poorly hidden rage out of Moira. He already knew that the women couldn’t stand each other.
Frederick knew that, among other things, it was his fault, too. Elana hated being made a fool of, and Moira… He didn’t dare to voice it, but he knew…
After this visit, Frederick knew she favoured him - perhaps even loved him. He could only hope. No, she did. He believed their feelings were mutual and pure.
It was a little too soon to propose. They had known each other for less than a month. Frederick had much more to learn about Moira. Their path forward wasn’t set either…
There was the issue with the Bitch Queen and now Kurt’s death… It was a disaster.
Despite the lost life, Frederick knew it would be more about the politics involved in the death of a Duke’s heir.
Stopping his musing, Frederick rose from his seat. “I apologise for the unsightly sight. And thank you… This hour you spent with… I will never forget the strength you gave me.”
“No need to mention it, your Maj-” Moira stopped, then looked at her feet. “Frederick.” She whispered.
The restrained way Moira had spoken his name made Frederick ecstatic. The shyness and slight smile on the girl’s face made his stomach flutter with love. “Lady Moira, I…” He almost confessed.
Instead of committing more blunders, Frederick steered the conversation towards their immediate future. “Kurt’s father will arrive soon, and so will a messenger from mine. I don’t know what their demands shall be, but I-” He steeled himself. “I will ask to be allowed to stay here. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave you.”
***
Moira looked at the love-struck idiot with contempt. If the asshole wasn’t of royal blood, she wouldn’t have spoken to him at all. If he hadn’t interrupted her moment with Elana, his mind would have stayed intact… Mostly.
But now… Moira smirked while thinking about revealing her budding relationship with Elana to the idiot.
“Thank you.” Frederick slightly bowed.
While confused, Moira didn’t say anything. She simply tilted her head. It was hard not to punch the idiot. Even the gesture he had meant to be reassuring had resulted in her trying to rip away Prince’s shoulder.
“Your smile… It told me everything.” The Idiot continued to live in delusions. “I know you can’t say it. Our positions… They are too different, I understand. I won’t ask you to promise anything.”
It was unclear what the monkey was blabbing about. It did seem he was playing into Moira’s hand, so she stayed silent - again. This had been a repeating cycle ever since Moira had gotten here.
Moira’s mind wandered back to Elana’s lips. Her… She furrowed her brows. What were they now?
“I know.” The dumbass interpreted Moira’s actions as he wished. “I know you are not happy with it. But instead of you making promises, I will do it. No matter what-”
It was a serious question. Moira had gotten to this point somehow. She knew Elana loved her. But getting that devilish woman to admit that and take a step further… Moira didn’t know how to achieve that goal.
“-together. It will take time, I am sure-”
Besides, Moira had to voice her own love as well. It wasn’t a question of ‘could she do it’. It was ‘when’. She didn’t want the confession to slip out during one of the sexual interactions.
“-past and future. Laws can be changed-”
It was a genuine danger. Elana would never let her forget if that happened. Moira didn’t want to be teased for years to come. But something romantic was…
“-funny, isn’t it? Just a while ago, we didn’t know each other-”
Moira could see Elana do something romantic. The damned pillar of corruption definitely knew how to woo a woman. The issue was that Moira wasn’t confident in not ruining the moment herself.
Even today, when they had gotten to kissing, it had resulted in a spat. How could they have sex like this? “Damnit.”
“Truly.” The prince sadly nodded in agreement. “But it cannot be helped. We can only continue forward. No matter what happens. We have each other. We can surmount any odds.”
Moira tilted her head to the other side, wondering what the Prince of all Dumbness was on about. Not that she cared anyway. Moira simply nodded.
Frederick ruefully shook his head. “We-”
There was a knock on the doors. “Sire, your fiance has arrived.”
Hearing of Elnana’s arrival, Moira nervously began straightening her uniform. She wasn’t quite ready to face her.
“You have to hide!” The Prince of Empty Heads panicked. “There!” He pointed at a luxury sofa on the side. “Behind it!” He pushed Moira.
“I won’t hide.” Moira slapped away the Prince’s hand in disgust.
It made The Prince of Pea-Sized Brains sigh. “You are right. We should face her together.” He raised his chin, then faced the door. “Enter.”
